Herman Hits the Road in Not-So-Great Britain-and It's "Munster Go Home"!

Tonight on MeTV, we present an American export to England- that might just be refused! It’s not like the British Invasion of the ‘60s that brought us various rock groups- but this 1960s invasion homes in on English aristocracy-when Herman Munster arrives with his freaky family to claim his rightful inheritance of a title and the attached ancestral manor- though not resulting in torches and pitchforks, there is a negative reaction from the local citizenry, and murderous treachery from his very own British relatives, all rallying to the battle cry of-"Munster Go Home"!

This horror-comedy, obviously with its roots in television, joins the Don Knotts’ vehicle “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” as one of the most requested movies from our Sven library, though the all-time champ remains “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein’. It does have its detractors in horror fans who are not big fans of the high dosage of humor, but every time we run it, that is out-weighed by the number of viewers who enjoy it. One thing we have learned- you can’t please everyone all the time!

On to our story- Herman returns home from work one night, and is met by his family, in a somber mood due to some news they have received. That mood changes when Lily reveals the news that Herman has inherited his adopted family's estate in England- as well as the official title of lordship! The newly-appointed "Lord Munster" and family depart from their haunted home at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, and board an ocean liner bound for Great Britain.

Traveling on the high seas causes a high rate of seasickness in Herman, who ends up looking even greener than usual ( yes, unlike the TV show, this film presents the family in full color). Always prepared, Grandpa has a sure remedy in his bag of tricks and potions, guaranteed to change Herman’s condition. That backfires when the so-called cure affects him instead-causing a Larry Talbot-related transformation! While the rest of the family deals with that, Marilyn, the Munster niece “cursed” with being a pretty young woman with zero resemblance to any horror creature- begins a shipboard romance with a handsome English lad, with a beautiful car he’s taking home via the ship- but, before it gets too far, he ends up making Marilyn angry at him. Let’s face it, the Love Boat, this isn’t!

Meanwhile, at the about-to-be-inherited Munster Hall in England, the current residents- Herman’s spiteful British relatives - are dead set against Herman stepping in to take over the estate and the title of Lordship, infringing on their rights and station. “Dead” ends up being the operative word as they begin hatching nasty plots designed to stop their American cousin permanently! When Herman and family finally arrive at Munster Hall, they are “greeted” by dastardly cousin Freddie, his sister Grace, and Aunt Effigie. On the very first night in the manor, the scheming British Munsters launch their scheme to frighten the American interlopers away- not realizing that scares and horror are a basic and cherished way of life for their American cousins. It’s decided that much more extreme - and deadly - measures are necessary if they wish to retain their home and ensure that the title of lord of the manor will end up with fiendish Freddie.

On their first day at the manor, Marilyn sets out on a bicycle ride to explore the local countryside- and quite literally runs into the patriarch of a neighboring estate. She is warmly welcomed to the gentleman’s home- until it is discovered who she is related to, since this upper-class family has a long-standing feud with the Munster clan! Not only that- but her shipboard Romeo makes a sudden re-appearance- and is the son of this family! As sworn enemies of the Munsters, they no longer welcome Marilyn-who is quite happy to leave once she spots their offensive offspring,

Things only get worse when the locals follow suit in making the Munsters feel like outcasts. It falls to Herman to redeem his family’s good name, and prove worthy of his new title, by winning the area's yearly road race -in spite of opposing the other feuding family, and the treacherous members of his own familial group out to sabotage him!

This 1966 film was , as we mentioned, the first time fans would see the Munster family in color, and on the big screen. It also provides the first appearance of the famed “Drag-u-la” hot rod designed for the movie (and then brought into the TV show) by the late George Barris. We’ll run down the roster of the familiar TV cast-including our friend Butch Patrick as Eddie- and introduce the third actress to play Marilyn, Debbie Watson- along with familiar faces from TV shows like "Andy Griffith", "Hogan's Heroes", and "Chips" - plus more cast members including motion pictures stars and a horror icon! We’ll also give you a look at our legendary search for the Munsters' cars among all the historic and Hollywood vehicles at the famed Volo Auto Museum- and bring back a favorite bit where classic TV characters bid farewell to Herman!

"Munster Go Home" comes into your home tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- and, for those unsure where and when to tune in where you live- just check your local listings or at www.metv.com . Don’t forget you are invited to live-Tweet during the show along with fans from all over the country on Twitter- using the hashtag #svengoolie. Our Chicago area viewers can get an encore of the William Shatner arachnid epic “Kingdom of the Spiders” at 11 am on our main local station, CW 26 !

Make sure you check out the MeTV Mall here on our website- with a great new variety in store, including this year’s Sven “ugly Christmas sweater”- and watch for more new items soon. A word to the wise-if you have an interest in the merchandise, especially as gifts, order early – lately it seems items sell out pretty quickly!

Join us tonight on MeTV for Herman’s new role as English aristocracy- and as a race car driver who should have put the brakes on that idea from the start!

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